119 So. 3d 801 - State v. Byrd’s Empirical Analysis

Citation profile

11 state decisions

Most-quoted passages

The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 11 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.

1. “Now, the defendant has raised a legal justification claim of self-defense. The use of force or violence upon the person of another is justifiable for the purpose of preventing a forcible offense against one's person if the force used is reasonable and apparently necessary to prevent the offense. A person who has not engaged in any unlawful activity and is in a place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat before using force or violence for the purpose of preventing a forcible offense against [his] or her person. In such circumstances a person may stand his or her own ground and meet force with force. The possibility of retreat shall not be considered as [a] factor in determining whether or not the person had a reasonable belief that the use of force or violence was reasonable and apparently necessary to prevent the forcible offense against his or her person. Thus if you find that the defendant committed the offense charged for the purpose of preventing a forcible offense against his person, and 2) that the amount of force [or] violence used was reasonable and 3) that the force or violence was apparently necessary to prevent the forcible offense then you must find the defendant not guilty. A defendant who seeks to justify his actions by the legal claim of self-defense must prove his claim by a preponderance of the evidence. Now, in applying all this law which the court has given to you about the evidence and the witnesses and the definitions, you must remember”

   1 later decision quote this exact passage
   e.g. 243 So. 3d 1178 - State v. Barron